Farewell to the C2 model

In the fifth year of its life, when the car was in its prime, Citroen C2 ceased sales in Russia. And this despite the fact that when we took the "hot" version of this hatchback for a test in early December, nothing indicated that its days were numbered. The refreshed after facelift small car cheerfully sparkled with large chrome chevrons on the grille — it seemed that its life path was still long. And it could have delighted those few Russian drivers who were ready to love the C2 for its striking looks and French charm, turning a blind eye to the price tag, for which one could get a Korean golf-class or a Russian-assembled Ford Focus.

Send-off

Of course, without the "second number" in the Citroen lineup, the roads will become duller. After all, Donato Coco, the creator of the C2 VTS, literally with a couple of pencil strokes turned the usual idea of a city small car upside down. Inside this hatchback, it was as if two grenades went off — one in the cabin, the other under the hood. Together they filled the car's body with energy and determination.

The regular C2 wins mainly with its looks — all its internals are aimed at saving the owner's budget. But in the version with the "VTS" badge, which we tested, the main secret was hidden in the chassis. This is exactly the case when the car can be "turned as you like".

At first, the handling of the C2 VTS frightens: body rolls in corners are so insignificant that you can't believe it can be so. It seems the engineers tightened the suspension so much to give stability to the short and tall car (C2 wheelbase — 2315 mm, height — 1461 mm) that the first pothole should shake the souls out of passengers. But in reality, the C2 VTS swallows small bumps without any emotion.

The French "pocket rocket" also turned out to be ready for serious tests of road quality. I became convinced of this when I gave a ride to three adult passengers from Yaroslavl to Uglich. From the shaking, the radio stopped reading discs as soon as I left Yaroslavl, but the suspension never bottomed out even once. Even the low-profile tires 195/45 R16 withstood the not-so-smooth (to put it mildly) road.

On frankly bad sections, the short-wheelbase hatch does not throw from side to side — the car holds the straight line perfectly. And this despite the fact that the suspension design of the C2 is the simplest: MacPherson struts in front, torsion beam in the rear.

Minimal body rolls and excellent directional stability are complemented by sharp steering. The electric power steering is the same as on regular C2s, but in the "hot" version, the steering rack ratio was changed: the VTS steering wheel makes 2.6 turns from lock to lock, not 3.2 like in "civilian" modifications. And then they worked their magic on the settings of the power steering control unit.

Don't sleep, you'll stall

Up to 3500 rpm, the 1.6-liter engine with 125 horsepower pulls averagely. But after this mark, the car seems to be picked up by an invisible hand and thrown forward. A short but very vivid feeling of flight persists until the cutoff at 7200 rpm.

Some may think the engine could come alive earlier, but the C2 VTS doesn't jerk at every touch of the gas pedal in traffic jams or dense traffic. So for a driver who spends most of the time on regular roads rather than a race track, the calm character of the engine "down low" is more of a plus than a minus.

The positive emotions from fast driving are enhanced by the sound of the tuned exhaust system. The only drawback is that over time you realize that the juicy rumbling sound in the cabin slightly concusses. At first, the roar adds excitement during active driving, but then it starts to tire.

At speed, acoustic comfort is even worse. As soon as you accelerate to a "hundred", besides the annoying engine sound, a whole cacophony of aerodynamic noises breaks into the cabin. At first they are almost imperceptible, but if you continue to gain speed, loud otherworldly whistles appear inside the C2 VTS. As a result, at high speed it's impossible even to listen to the standard "music". And it's a pity — for the "supermini" class, it sounds decent, with deep bass.

However, after driving the "hot" hatchback for the first hundred kilometers on the highway, I realized that poor sound insulation spoils the impression of the C2 more than it deserves. It's like a business letter in which the client's name is spelled with a mistake — in essence, everything is correct and the offer seems attractive, but such a document no longer inspires confidence.

Same in the C2 VTS — because sounds from the street easily penetrate the cabin, passengers feel that the body poorly protects from cold and bad weather — like, the walls are thin, not enough foam was put. But in reality, the "two" warms up perfectly even in sub-zero temperatures.

Cramped but not offended

If you drive the C2 VTS around the city, without revving the tachometer to the red zone and without exceeding speed limits, then the driver and passengers in the cabin are very comfortable. There is a lot of space inside — at least in the front seats. The feeling of free space is enhanced by the light that pours into the car through the large windshield.

The front seats inherited from the VTR version with pronounced lateral support are easy to adjust for a driver of any height. The interior has many interesting design solutions, such as creative ventilation grilles, an analog tachometer with a white scale, or a solid round steel gear knob.

By the way, the rear seat accommodates not only children but also adults, although from the outside it seems impossible to stuff a physically healthy man there. The only limitation is height. Passengers of average (or above) height will most likely have their heads touching the ceiling. Moreover, when letting fellow travelers in the back, don't forget that in this case you leave only 166 liters of free space in the trunk for bags.

The VTS version features a distinctive gear shift knob — a steel ball. After an overnight stay in the cold, it first burns the palm with icy cold, but as it warms in the hand, it begins to please with a pleasant texture and shape.

The Last Nail

It is a pity that such an unusual model as the Citroen C2 is leaving the Russian market. Apparently, PSA management considered that 253 cars sold per year (that is how many Citroen subcompacts were sold in 2007; statistics for 2008 are not yet available) is too modest a figure to continue supplying the C2 to us. Especially in the current crisis conditions, when every euro cent matters. Moreover, since January 12, increased customs duties on the import of new and used foreign cars have come into effect in Russia, which led to a price increase at dealerships of about seven percent. And the Citroen C2 even before that, excluding New Year discounts, cost from 393 thousand rubles. So even a ten percent price increase due to duties would most likely have finally buried sales of this model in our country. Those who want to buy a C2 right now should not despair — dealers still have live cars. In addition, a certain number of "twos" intended for our market are on the way. There is also another piece of good news: the official discount from the Russian representative office of Citroen in the amount of 40 thousand rubles applies to the remaining cars at all dealers. Taking this discount into account, the base version 1.4i Confort with a manual gearbox will cost 353 thousand rubles, and the 1.6 16V VTS — only 480 thousand. Hurry up! Among the alternatives, it is worth noting the Opel Corsa GSi — the closest competitor to the C2 VTS in the Opel model range. For 690.5 thousand rubles, the buyer gets a 150-horsepower car with a turbocharged Ecotec engine of 1.6 liters and a six-speed transmission. For those who want an even hotter hatchback, the 192-horsepower Corsa OPC for 770 thousand rubles (price of the base configuration) is suitable. The direct rival of the Citroen VTS is the Ford Fiesta Sport. The atmospheric engine of the "Fiesta" produces 120 horsepower, and torque is transmitted to the wheels via a five-speed manual. The sport version of the "Fiesta" has an aggressive body kit, a tightened suspension, and sport seats. For such a configuration, they ask 523.4 thousand rubles. The C2 VTS also has a "premium" analogue — the stylish Mini Cooper with a 115-horsepower engine of 1.6 liters. True, the base version with a six-speed manual costs as much as 727.2 thousand rubles, and for a six-speed automatic you will have to pay an additional 64.8 thousand. This is, of course, a bit expensive, but it is a Mini. The Citroen C2 VTS is a good way to get involved in motorsport for less than half a million rubles.

Technical characteristics of the Citroen C2 VTS

Length, mm	3666
Width, mm	1659
Height, mm	1461
Wheelbase, mm	2315
Curb weight, kg	1055
Engine displacement, cm3	1587
Power, hp/rpm	125/6500
Torque, Nm/rpm	143/3750
Acceleration time from 0 to 100 km/h, s	8.3
Maximum speed, km/h	202
Fuel consumption in combined cycle, l/100 km	6.9

Artem Betyev